2017 Triumph Street Cup First Ride Test | 11 Fast Facts

2017 Triumph Street Cup First Ride Review

2017 Triumph Street Cup First Ride Review

For 2017, Triumph has released the Street Cup, the third model to join the Street Twin lineup (which fall under the greater Bonneville umbrella), which includes the base Street Twin and the also-new Street Scrambler. The decision to create another bike on this platform was easy; Triumph says that the 2016 Street Twin sales were twice as high as any other single motorcycle in the company’s 2016 lineup.

2017 Triumph Street Cup First Ride Review

Positioned as the “Urban Sports Bonneville,” the Street Cup caters to the modern classic scene, and delivers custom cafe racer appeal directly out of Triumph’s Hinckley facilities.

Ultimate Motorcycling headed to Seville, Spain, for the launch of Triumph’s newest model. From in-town riding to some of the sickest twisties we’ve ever ridden, the Street Cup impressed more than the other Street Twin models.

Here are our first ride Fast Facts to give you what you need to know immediately. An in-depth review will follow in the February issue of Ultimate Motorcycling magazine, which is a free app for Apple and Android mobile devices.

1. The Street Cup arrives with the same 900cc parallel twin found in the Street Twin, but with a slightly different tune. The Street Cup’s eight-valve SOHC motor, with its 270-degree firing order, produces the same power as the Street Twin–59 ft/lbs of torque at 3200 rpm and 54 horsepower at 5900 rpm–but with a stronger mid-range push. Torque is up 18 percent, and horsepower 22 percent between 2750 to 4750 rpm, according to Triumph.

2. You can feel the power increase on the road. The additional torque is immediately apparent from the first twist of throttle. This engine is mated to a five-speed transmission, which is geared perfectly for any situation of riding, including highway cruising over 80 mph; there’s no need for a sixth gear.

3. Due to a steeper steering-head angle, the 2017 Triumph Street Cup is the top handler in the Street Twin lineup. The bike features the same suspension as the Street Scrambler, but its 41mm KYB fork legs are longer. The Street Cup’s forks and twin-shock KYB shocks are also sprung lighter for comfort on the street. With 4.7 inches of wheel travel, the Street Cup tempered the stony Spanish roads and was perfect while pinned on smooth straights. This is the type of bike that likes to be smoothly transitioned through mountain passes without heavy braking, which can upset the chassis while setting initial corner speeds.

2017 Triumph Street Cup First Ride Review

4. The 2017 Triumph Street Twin is shod with Pirelli Phantom Sportscomp tires, especially designed for the bike. These tires—100/90 x 18 front; 150/70 x 17 rear—are sticky from the outset, and come up to warmth quickly.

5. The Street Cup gets the same brake setup as the Scrambler—a 310mm single-disc in front and a 255mm disc out back, both squeezed by two-piston Nissin calipers. The Street Cup’s brakes responded well throughout some high-spirited rides, and there was no brake fade. Feel at the lever does get squishy under heavy braking situations, but braking power never lessened.

6. One-level Traction Control and ABS are standard on the Street Cup, and only the TC is switchable. The ABS can’t be shut off, but for this type of urban-going bike there’s no need for it to disable it. Intervention of ABS and traction control was minimal, even when pushing the systems.

7. The Street Cup features a Torque Assist Clutch, which lightens lever pull and helps narrow the engine profile. The Torque Assist Clutch has all the features of a slipper clutch, but uses motor torque for a lighter “assist” feel rather than slipping during shifting. Not once did we have any issues while using only one or two fingers during the test ride.

8. The Street Cup may look like it has aggressive ergonomics, especially due to the Ace handlebars, but this is far from true. The Ace bars are not aggressively positioned, and have a reach that’s similar to sportbikes of the 1990s. Thruxton R style foot pegs are positioned in a mid-control position and add to comfort. The 30.7-inch seat height—1.2 inches higher than the base Street Twin—helps perfect the ergonomics.

2017 Triumph Street Cup First Ride Review

9. The Bullet seat, covered in a plush Alcantara fabric material (polyester/polyurethane blend), has just enough cushion for comfort in town or on the highway, and the right amount of firmness for riding back roads. The Street Cup also arrives with a Cafe Racer seat cowl that matches the color of the fly screen.

10. The Street Cup is economically sound to improved gas mileage (claimed 63 mpg) and longer service intervals over the previous generation’s engine. The Street Cup gets nearly 200 miles out of a 3.2-gallon tank of gas—an increase of 36 percent over the previous generation.

Service intervals are now 10,000 miles between oil changes, an increase of 4000 miles over the previous generation. Triumph uses semi-synthetic oil over full synthetic, which can cut costs further. As for gas mileage, we were pushing throughout the day, but still registered 54 mpg average through the twin gauges borrowed from the Thruxton R.

11. The 2017 Triumph Street Cup is priced at $10,500 for either Racing Yellow/Silver Ice, or Jet Black/Silver Ice. Both paint schemes arrive with hand-painted coach lines that separate the two colors. Triumph USA says the bike is available now.

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